SHAH ALAM - Johor Darul Ta'zim's Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi and Endrick Dos Santos have been released from the national team's centralised training camp after tests confirmed that they had both suffered injuries, head coach Kim Pan Gon confirmed in a statement today.
The pair are thus officially ruled out of the Tier 1 International Matches against Hong Kong at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor Baru on Tuesday.
"FAM officials and the medical team have always prioritised the health and safety of its players and have agreed to release Arif Aiman and Endrick from the centralised training camp so that they can recover to their best health," said Kim.
"With Arif Aiman and Endrick's absence, the remaining 25 players will continue the centralised training camp and there will be no replacements at this point of time."
Having defeated Turkmenistan 1-0 thanks to a goal from Akhyar Rashid in their first of two Tier 1 international friendlies last Thursday, Malaysia will be looking to bolster their rise up the FIFA rankings with another victory against Hong Kong on Tuesday.